Combination knife, fork, and spoon



Dec. '21, 1948. w. F. BoLLlNG I COMBINATION KNIFE, FORK, AND SPOON .Fledduly 29, 1946 Ol.- v- WML/,4M F Bou/N6,

By @QM-mf l Patented Dec. 2 1, 1948y U NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,456,858 n COMBINATION'KNIFE, FORK, AND SPOON- William F. Bolling, Norton', Va. Application` July `29, 1946,.v Serial N0. 686,819l

(Cl. 30e-1434) 3.C1aims. 1

This invention relates tocertain new andj useful improvements in combination table ware, and, more particularly. the invention relates tof a .combined, kniie, fork and spoon.

One object of theinvention is toprovide.- an article which will carryv av knife blade.lork and spoon normally in folded relation. and attached together in a convenient handlethe handle being made in separable parts; sof that the knife, fork and spoon may be used separately when desired.

Another object' of the invention is to provide means for securely locking thev separablev parts of the handle together.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article of the aforementioned type in' whichv any one of the fork, knife or spoon, may be used, when desired, without separating they parts of the handle.

A further object of the invention is-to provide a handle structure having a curved blade,such as a spoon, pivotally connected thereto, wherein the curved-blade may be folded relative to the handle to form a compact structure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, wherein;

Fig. l is a side elevational View of .my combined knife, fork and spoon with the handle in assembled relation, and with the sp'oon blade in fully opened position and the knifeI andlork vblades in partially opened positions,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the spoon blade and' its handle,

Fig. 3 is a side elevational. view of thev knife blade and its handle,

Fig. 4 is a plan View of' handle,

Fig. 5 is a sectional v-iewt'aken along the line 5-5 of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail taken along the line 6-6 of'Fig. Blocking in the direction of the arrows. f l

Referring now to the drawings, the main handle, designated generally by the reference numeral i, comprises a spoon handle 2', a knife handle 3 and a fork handle 4.

The knife handle 3 comprises spaced plates 5 and 6 which are provided `with spaced,A longitudinally extending slots 1 and 8, respectively. The slots 1 and 8 are provided with enlargements, constituting eyes 9 which are adapted to receive heads to be later described.

At one extremity of the handle 3 a, knife blade the forkfblade and its Ill ispivoted nponasuitable pin II. Preferably, a combined spacingrnember and springf I1 fis providedtospace the plates 5 and 6 and tocooperate with the blade so as to hold the samer-.in an open. or closed position. in a. manner well known in pocket knives. y l.

The combined spacing member .and spring I2 is located between: the plates 5Y and-B along `one of the edges andthe buttI ends. thereof and; the plates are suitably held in spaced relation 'by means ofv the pin il, and also pins I3 and I4 which project. through the butt ends. and. substantially-midway between the ends, respectively, of the plates 5 andv 6 and themember I2. The free end ofthe member I24 thus functions as. a spring. in. theausualfmanner. well known invpocket knife. construction.

inwardly directed projections I5 and I5! are provided adjacent'the edges of theslots 1z and-, respectively, of the plates 5; and 6, and adjacent theenlargernents or eyes Si.l Theselproiections. I5 and I5 extend inwardly approximately 1/64, chan inch and provide friction locking:` means which will be more fully described later..

The handles 2 and I are similarly constructed for the most: part and comprise spacedY plates I6, i1? and Iii',Y I9, respectively. At one-extremity of the plates i6 and If'i-'a fork blade-2li; provided withr a. bottleopener recess 201', is 'pivotally mounted upon -a suitable pin 2i. l Similarly;. at one extremity of the plates I-Iiandi I9 afcul'ved blade in the form of a spoon: 221 ispivotally mounted upon a suitable pin 23; A combined spacing member/and.- spring.v 124 .is provided between theV plates I6- and I1 of the handle 2 along one of the edges and'thebutt ends thereofv and these plates I6 and l1 are suitably heldin spaced relation by meansof'the pin 2l, and also pins 25y and 26 which project throughl substantially midway betweeny the. ends and through the britt ends, respectively.. of@ the plates I'Sya-nd I1 andthe member 24;.

A. combined* spacing member .andk spring ,'ll is y provided between the plates i8 and I-S of the handle@ 4 and these plates If and I9 are malntained in 4spaced relation by means Iof the pin -23, and also thepinsf'z and 29v which project through substantiallyl midway between the. ends and through the. butt ends, respectively, o'ff the plates Il!l and 19 and member 21.

.Theifree ends of the members rand-Nicolin- 'erate-wlth the blades -22 and 2U', respectively, so

as to hold the same in open or closed positions in the manner well known in pocket knife construction.

lplates I8 and I9.

The three separable handles 2, 3 i adapted to be attached together so having as it were, three' `blade 2U.

l ing press.

,"positioned in the slots 1 and .f through the enlargements .handles are set together in the manner illus-l The manner of spacing the plates 5, 6, the plates I6, I1 and the plates I8, I9 is common in pocket knife construction and hence need not be further described.

Facing strips 30 and 3l of bone or similar material may be provided in a Well known manner on the outside faces of the plates I 6 and I9, respectively, if desired.

'Ihe spoon blade 22 comprises the usual bowl 32 and a relatively short handle 33 connected together by a curved portion 34 in the usual manner. Thus the spoon blade 22 is a curved blade and in order to provide for the folding thereof, a slot 35 (Fig. 1) is provided in the plate I6 and the facing strip 38 to receive the curved portion thereof. Thus, when the spoon is folded, the handle portion 33 lies between the plates I6 and I1 and the curved portion 34 extends outwardly through the slot 35, lying along the side of the facing strip 30 and inwardly directed with respect thereto, as shown in the dot and dash line in Fig. 1.

The knife blade I8 is adapted to be folded into the space between the plates and 6 in the manner usual with pocket knives and likewise the fork is adapted to fold into the space between and 4 are as to form the single handle I, blades, one of which is the spoon blade 22, another the knife blade I0, and the other the fork In order to bring about this arrangement, the inside plate I1 of the spoon handle and the inside plate I8 of the fork handle are* provided, at points corresponding to the enlargements 9 of the slots 1 and 8, with suitable heads 36 and 31, respectively. The heads 36 and 31 are preferably substantially circular, and to form A' these heads the material in the plates I1 and" I8 may be forced outwardly in a suitable stamp- Each of the circular heads 36 and 31 ris connected with the body of the plates I1 and I8, respectively, by means of inclined tongues:

38 and 39, respectively.

The diameters of the heads 36 and 31 are such that they may pass easily through the eyes or'openings 9 and the tongues 38 and 39 are of reduced width so that they may be received'or 8, respectively.

The heads 33 and 31 are offset sufnciently from the bodies of the plates I1 and I`8, respectively, to enable the heads 36 and 31 to pass completely 9 when the three trated in Figs. 1 and 5.

With the heads 36 of the spoon handle 2 received near the inner face of the plate 5,' the `spoon handle 2 is forced longitudinally of the knifehandle 3 and toward the butt end of the device. This movement slides the heads 36 out of alignment with the eyes or enlargements 9 fand over and beyond the projections I5 so that the side edges of these heads 36, between the tongues 38, project over the edges of the slots "I. The projections I5 provide a friction locking means securely. locking the handles .2 and 3 to- 1 gether. The fork handle 4 is similarly assembled with respect to the knife handle 3, and the prol jections I5 provide a friction locking means' securely locking the handles 3 and 4 together.

When the handles have been put together in the manner just described, the knife made, the fork blade and the curved spoon blade may be folded like the blades of an ordinary knife so that the complete article presents substantially the appearance of an ordinary pocket knife except for the bowl 32 of the spoon 22, which projects outwardly but lies along the side of the handle I. It will be obvious, of course, that the rblades may be folded before the three handles fork and spoon, especially useful as an article to be carried by persons on outing, camping expeditions or the like, which is simple in construction, compact, and cheap to manufacture.

tions, and

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawings and have herein described in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. l

I claim:

l. An article ofthe class described, comprising a handle having spaced plates each of which is provided with a plurality of longitudinally disposed slots formed therethrough,y said slots having enlargements constituting eyes spaced from at least one of the ends of the slots, locking means comprising inwardly directed projections on said spaced plates adjacent the enlargements of said slots, second and'third handles each having a plate provided with heads', offset therefrom and adapted to pass through said eyes, said heads being connected to said last plates by means adapted to be received in said slots and slidable the heads beyond 'said projeca 'blade carried by each of said hantherein to carry dles.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said blades comprise a knife, a fork and a spoon.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said second handle comprises a second plate spaced from said plate provided with heads, and wherein said blade carried by said second handle is pivotally connected thereto and comprises a curved portion, said second plate having a slot therein to receive the curved portion of said blade in closed position.

H, WILLIAM F. BOLLING.

Y, IREFERENCES CITED The following, reference file of this patent:

are of record in the cover all modificationsI 

